Street Lighting Project Finished, Celebrated
Mayor, City Council, OSU Students Flip Switch to Light
150 New Street Lights in Campus Area
Nearly $1 Million Project Means Brighter Lighting, Safer Streets
(Columbus) Last July, Mayor Michael B. Coleman and Ohio State University students broke ground for 150
new streetlights in the campus area with a projected completion date of July
2008. Today, four months ahead of that
schedule, the Mayor, OSU students, City Council, OSU President E. Gordon Gee
and others flipped the switch to turn on the lights in a dedication ceremony at
Summit United Methodist Church. The nearly $1 million project upgraded street
lights installed in the 1970s.
“The City and OSU are committed to making campus area
streets safer, and I am proud the students stepped up to ask for the lights and
be part of this partnership,” Mayor Coleman said. “Our investment in these street lights and
construction of the new Moody/Hall Neighborhood Policing Center on 11th Avenue sends a clear message to
criminals that we stand together against you.”
The new lights were installed on a dozen streets are
placed 160 feet apart, closer together than the standard 180-foot spacing for
street lights. The closer spacing make
the lights appear to be brighter.
"The culmination of years of
Ohio State
students working closely with the city has led to this great development for
our campus,” Undergraduate Student Government (USG) President Kate Christobek
said. “I can attest that students at Ohio
State couldn't be more excited
about what an excellent change this new lighting brings to our
neighborhood."
Funding for the $938,000 project began with an initial
investment of $295,000 from the city's Urban Infrastructure Recovery Fund
(UIRF) in the Development Department, with the balance included in the City's
2007 Capital Improvements Budget. The
project's original timeline called for its completion by November 2009. However, Mayor Coleman in 2006 directed the
Department of Public Utilities and the Development Department to work with OSU,
OSU-USG and City Council to make this project a priority and begin construction
18 months earlier than planned. The
accelerated construction scheduled brought completion of the project 21 months
earlier than originally scheduled.
The lights were installed within the following
boundaries
Ø North: Woodruff Avenue
Ø South: Chittenden Avenue
Ø East: Summit Street
Ø West: North High Street
The 150 decorative street lights were installed on 12
streets:
Ø Indianola Avenue
Ø 12th Avenue
Ø 13th Avenue
Ø 14th Avenue
Ø 15th Avenue
Ø 16th Avenue
Ø 17th Avenue
Ø 18th Avenue
Ø 19th Avenue
Ø Waldeck Avenue
Ø Iuka Avenue
Ø Woodruff Avenue